âÄúAshesh Barsha, Unending MonsoonâÄù WHERE: Southern Theater, 1420 S. Washington Ave. Minneapolis WHEN: Sep. 10 – 13 PRICE: $22 Members of Ananya Dance Theatre arenâÄôt organizing bus boycotts in Montgomery, Ala. or marching in Washington, DC., but theyâÄôre still engaging in activism. The socially and politically driven dance work begins its creative process with discussion of social injustice in a non-traditional language, one of the movement between human bodies. âÄúAshesh Barsha, Unending Monsoon,âÄù is the third work and grand finale in a trilogy of similar works by Ananya Dance Theatre. Each dance explores an expanding physical problem, like pollution or wasteful energy expenditure. The first production, which began four years ago, focused on the body burden of industrial, toxic spillage. The sequel, âÄúPipasha: Extreme Thirst,âÄù dealt with the destruction of lifestyles associated with the appropriation of indigenous land. Work for the production of âÄúAshesh Barsha, Unending Monsoon,âÄù began a year ago, with workshops on environmental justice, conversations with collaborators in the community, and the exploration of social justice advocacy. Approaching the topics with movement is a way to make overwhelming, abstract issues into concrete, expressive motions. Each production so far has dealt with self and the impossibility of escaping participation in the machine. As consumers, Americans are drawn and forced into indirectly harming the environment and themselves. As Ananya Chatterjea, Director of Ananya Dance Theater and dance professor for the University of Minnesota, says, âÄúDo I have a right to control what goes into my body? Do I have a right to say âÄòI own this landâÄô?âÄù Who has a say in the constant global expenditure of energy?âÄù Chatterjea compares the torrents of energy usage to a monsoon. âÄúWhere IâÄôm from,âÄù Chatterjea says, âÄúMonsoons have this âÄòromantic appealâÄô âĦ but if they continue forever, the results would be devastating.âÄù Kayva Yang, a former University student with an IDIM degree in social and political science and current dancer and Development Director at ADT, says, âÄúAs a student, you look for a community and develop yourself within that student community.âÄù Yang had no formal training with dance when she responded to an ADT call for women of color dancers five years ago. She said the experience extends beyond âÄúwho are you as a dancer?âÄù to âÄúhow do you become more politically engaged? What is relevant for a woman of color?âÄù ADT aims not to simply entertain the gentry, Yang said, but to âÄúcreate a more permanent space in the community, a space for artistic excellence.âÄù âÄúWe want to do more than raise questions,âÄù Yang said. âÄúThe goal is to contribute to how communities take action.âÄù